dolphins_log | Entries tagged with food

Happy Birthday,

miertam

This job is making me forget things like birthdays. Sorry I'm late.

Today was refinance day. I went to my meeting with WasMu with all my papers in hand. The mortgage broker finally stopped asking for paper, saying you have plenty of assets. We don't need any more proof. So he calmly locked us in at 4.25 %. The 15 year mortgage means we spend $9 more then what we are spending with our current 30 year mortgage. The 30 year mortgage was at 4.65, the number you see bandied about in the news.

The experience was SOOOOOO different then my experience with Stage Coaches Inc. Stage Coaches, Our current mortgage holder, wanted to lock us into a 30 year 5.25% mortgage "and you have to do this fast because it's going up tomorrow! And don't waste my time if you're not going to do this." And get this... The 15 year mortgage would have had a 6.25% rate. Our current rate with them is 6.50%.   ...and who ever heard of the 15 year having a HIGHER rate then a 30 year?!?

So he handed me a batch of papers to take to Silverdale for Juli to sign. Juli loves it! Great deal!      I stopped at Barnes & Nobel before returning and bought a random book that looked interesting, "The Good Fairies of New York" by Martin Millar, and issue 20 of Nagima
Then Back to WasMu to drop them off.   Now we just wait three months and prepaire to answer random questions. It's not like we need to draw money out, so we can wait. Came home with a screaming headache though, and took some aspirin. Fell asleep for a little over an hour.

Juli came home with a scary story. There was an unattended child in a cart at the store. The child's sibling decided he wanted into the cart too, and climbed up on it... tipping it over and smashing the both of them, cart and all, into a glass shelf full of glassware, shattering it all. According to Juli there were large Sword SIzed pieces of glass all over the floor. The kids have some minor cuts only, thank goodness. It must have been a baby sitter tending the kids because she did not come running. She just stood there while others fussed over the kids. She even left the store with the kids in a hurry before anyone could talk to them. Scary.

So tonight we're having breakfast for dinner. Pancakes and meat!

Current Mood: I Did Banking Things.
Current Location: My Miser Safe Swimming in Coin
Current Music: Patrick O'Hearn: Sky Juice.

Spent the day painting the rest of the laundry room. Juli chose the colors though I helped with changing the yellow. ....a little.
There is some artwork we are going to hang in here. Juli is thinking about which pieces. [that bottom half is deep blue, not black.]

I managed to get a work out in at the gym.   I really Really REALLY need to find a way to get something in over the week. By Thursday I start to feel a little run down. Actually I should find a way to get something in every day.   It's still difficult with the 9 hour shift.

It's a little cooler now then it was with the sun out a few days ago, but it feels more like Spring is on the way. Lot's more spring birds on making a raucous ruckus. There's a smell in the air that just FEELS like spring.

Juli and I are trying to find a way to get to the Ocean this month.   Right now it looks like the last weekend, so I may be missing a Tai Pan Edd Board meeting.   But we get three days at the Ocean and a bag full of Powell's Books out of the deal. [I'll work on some story while I'm there.]

Tonight.   Home made Hamburgers.

Day.

{and I'm REALLY looking forward to NorWesCon!]

Current Mood: Painterly
Current Location: Computer Room
Current Music: Talking to Juli

Yesterday's work ended with an annoying phone call.   It kept me at work for an added half hour. That won't be overtime because, now that I'm a direct employee, I have to "Un-make" it up, which is also cool. I get to leave work early one day.

The interesting thing is, that while the phone call was foremost in my mind the few hours later at Writer's Night, so much so that I had to "tell the story", today it's not so much. In fact the only thing significant about it is discovering that it's not significant.   It is what it is. If I can get that Zen to kick in just a little faster I'll be much better off for it. As it stands now I'm somewhat pleased. Side note: It was great to see everyone again! It's been about two months what with holidays and weird weather.

Today I got up with Juli and did something I use to do all the time; follow her to the coffee shop and buy her coffee for her before she continues off to work.   I love doing that. It gets her one her way faster, that is if the barista doesn't hold her coffee until mine is repaired. After she drove off I stopped at Fred Meyers and perused the books.

What to my wondering eyes do I see? The latest "Sharing Knife" novel by Lois McMaster Bujold is finally out in paperback!   Oh Joyous Day! Rather then buy it at Fredies though, I drove off to Silverdale to Barnes & Noble. I gave Juli a call before I bought it though, just to be sure she hadn't bought it yet. This may be my NorWesCon book. I've got a lot of others to read. I also picked up some manga. I only read Inu Yasha and Negumi these days. And I picked up a book called ""The Accidental Sorcerer" by K. E. Mills. It was an impulse buy. Looks like comedy.

I came home with my treasures and suited up to go to the Gym. First time in many months. I've been saying I've needed exercise to chase away the sleepies. Once again, I learned what I've always known, and what I learn every single time I work out: Working out feels good, AND gives me energy. Now I just need to find a way to work in the work outs in my 9 hour a day schedule. But because of how I feel now, the work outs will happen. I can't let this go. It feels to good.

I cleaned the shower while I showered. Juli and I are going to get a weekly schedule of lists to make sure chores don't get away from us. The shower is getting on that list.

Juli and I went for a walk yesterday and discussed those lists, and what home improvements we want to accomplish. I think this year we are going to replace the back deck, it's something we've wanted to do for some time. I'm thinking about using composite material rather than wood. Maintenance with us needs to be as simple as possible.

Speaking of lists, I want to plan meals ahead of time. This should help me schedule in those other tasks and creative times. So today after the shower I prepared for dinner tonight and tomorrow. Sour Cream Roll-ups with sliced strawberries tonight. Again, thank you to

typographer and

miertam for the crepe pan they gave us some years ago for Christmas. It is due to that pan that the Sour Cream Roll-ups continue to be a hit dinner.
BLTs tomorrow.

Laundry and Kitchen Clean up. And that's been my day so far.

Current Mood: Yeah, Let's Get THis Going.
Current Location: Computer Room
Current Music: Enya: Lothlorien

Today Juli and I went out to breakfast at FPH. It just felt like a day to have pancakes and eggs. When ever I do this though, I feel like I'm at a convention. Maybe it has something to do with the bad coffee. Still, the Swedish Pancakes with Loganberry's butter was very good!

I turned to in the yard right after. It was still overcast and sprinkling a little, even though it was warm. Perfect weather for weeding. I cleared out two garden beds. I'm beyond beginning to think that I should have kept that yard waste bin that was accidentally delivered to me. The compost pile [

dehd calls it a snot pile] is getting too big again.

I burned out just as the sun started to come out. Juli had been watching reruns of "Deadliest Catch" about crab fishing in the Bering Sea. I stopped to watch a bit. My brother says he and the other fisherman up in Kodiak claim it's all staged.   Yeah.... no.

I updated the CAJ website, or at least tried to. I haven't turned on the CAJ computer for about a month and a half. There were a few emails, a couple of praises and two wanting to know where they could sell their figurines. "Sorry, can't help you."   While the website is prepared to be updated it is refusing my password. I have a call into Telebyte tech support. I missed their last call back because I went to cook dinner.

DInner! Juli's sister-in-law caught some salmon a while ago. At Christmas we had some for dinner at the family gathering. Jeff, Juli's brother, gave us a couple of fillets that have been in the freezer ever since. I pulled one out yesterday and pan fried it with some seasonings. It was a seasoning kit that I bought at Freddie's. IT was a bit Cajun, but not overpowering.   We have one more fillet that I want to try

typographer 's recipe on.

I called Telebyte back. The fault was mine. One more letter in the user name then I needed.

julesong has been helping me out a little in SL. My character has changed a great deal. I like where she's going.

Back to work tomorrow.

day

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: computer room
Current Music: Chimes

This morning I went directly to Fry's, about 40 miles away, to pick up a graphics card. I got a nice GeForce 9600. I had $75 in gift cards that I've collected over the years. One from my parents and 2 from the gang. [thanks guys!]. Then there is a $40 dollar rebate. Score!

On the way back I stopped at the grocery store to pick up dinner supplied for a crock pot "Chicken, Fig, and Lemon" dinner. I prepped that right away and got it cooking before I started working on the compute. Sadly the card needs a PCI Express slot and I don't have one. }}}sigh{{{.

I grabbed a duplicate Manga that I had accidentally bought two weeks ago and trekked off to Silverdale to check out Best Buy. I picked up an okay PNY GeForce 7600, then stopped by Barnes & Noble to return the Manga.

When I got home and started to install the PNY I discovered that my power supply is 250 watts and I need a 300 watt power supply. Fun. I put it in anyway. It's obviously better. Lots of prrrrty pictures!

Dinner turned out GREAT. Gonna save that one.

miertam just called and had some suggestions that we're going to look into next week. Thanks guy!

Day!

Current Mood: Mmmmeh
Current Location: Family Room
Current Music: Juli is watching BB

Juli left for work early. About two hours later I followed. TJ Maxx was having its employee, and spouse, 20% off weekend. So I picked up 4 shirts and 3 cargo shorts.

I stopped by at Barnes & Noble to search for some manga. Instead I found "Black Powder War" by Naomi Novik. Del Rey has done something interesting with Novik's books. I'm sure it's been done before, I've just never seen it done. Novik's trilogy was completed some time ago and only released just this year. "His Majesty's Dragon" in April. "The Jade Throne" in early May, and "Black Powder War" just recently. I've read the first two already. I just think that's an effective way to release the work.

My next task, come back home and check movie times for "Over the Hedge". FUN FUN FUN!!! Even with the full theater of kids. BECAUSE of the full theater of kids!!!! A side note here; Juli likes to watch "The Apprentice". One to the episodes the winners got to do voice work for "Over the Hedge". They did the voices of people being bowled over by the rottweiler, and watching the credits, sure enough, there they were.

My final task was to cook up "Caribbean Chicken" for dinner. I haven't made that for about 5 years. Tasty dinner. It takes about 20 minutes of prep time and one hour to cook. I finished just as Juli got home. Tasty Dinner!!! We'll have Ben & Jerry's New York Chocolate Chunk later tonight.

( Here's that Caribbean Chicken recipe )

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Extream Makeover: Home Eddition

Because Juli is going to the Ballet with her mother tonight, we celebrated my birthday last night. We went to Anthony's in Gig Harbor. She, of course, had the fillet mignon. She explained that she wanted "meat!" I tried to point out that, technically, fish and chicken were meat. She countered that, yes they were meat, but that they wern't "meat!".

I had Alder Plank Salmon, a bit of a change for me. But it was Sooooooo good. And I had desert; Pear sorbet with huckleberry drizzle. Mmmm

Ug! I'm still full. Here at work they want to feed me cake today. ug.

Juli gave me all of the Harry Potter soundtracks. Last Christmas she gave me an "All in One" box set. To all my friends, avoid the "All in One". It's performed on a keyboard synthesizer. While I have to admit that it's well done, it is a far miss from the real thing.

Current Mood: content
Current Music: Harry Potter Soundtracks

Juli got off to work this morning at 10:00. On impulse I checked movie times. After getting the laundry underway I slipped out to catch the 1:50 show of "The Corpse Bride" It's not "Nightmare Before Christmas", but it was certainly fun. It was a sweet tale with a guessable plot. It gave me some art ideas. I guess this is what you would call an "Artist's Date", something you can find out about in Juliann Cameron's "The Artist's Way".

Afterward I fought with my new PDA for three hours. It wont HotSync. I get "Fatal Error Line:4038". Palms self help website was no help at all. So I'll need to call the customer support line tomorrow.

Tonight Juli and I had the Signature Soups from Safeway. Juli loves their potato and bacon soup and I had the chicken and rice. Mix in some corn chips and it's a nice light fall meal.